Our love of photography is killing us from the inside out, but there’s something you can do to fight this sickness.
Just close your eyes. This may sound counter-intuitive. I mean, we are photographers for Pete’s sake! Our job is to open our eyes to the people and places around us and to capture them in our own way. The problem is, we live in a culture and society that is over-saturated with visual content. This is good for getting information across quickly to the masses; and we should be contributing imagery into this flow of information. However, this abundance of visual stimuli can have a negative impact on photographers and artists in a few ways.
One of the main areas where we’re affected is our sense of self-worth. …and before we start feeling all high and mighty, understand that I am not talking about pride. Believe me, you can remove me from the system and this world will keep on turning. I am by no means an integral cog in the wheel of photography. Oh, and this may come as a shock to you, but neither are you! I say that with love, and not in any way to break you down. You see, we need to understand that self-worth doesn’t have anything to do with an over-inflated ego that puts us above anyone else…but it has to do with recognizing the skills, talents, and place God has given us in this world. It’s from this perspective that we’re able to see our sphere of influence and to understand where we are of most value. The reason so many of us lose sight of our own self-worth is because we’re too focused on what everyone else is doing!
There are a LOT of great photographers and artists out there, and they’re creating incredible imagery. What happens when we soak up all of this incredible artwork on a daily basis? I can tell you from personal experience, it begins to deflate us. Ever been in a room with a group of people that you felt were all more talented than you? How about a group that you thought were more successful than you? A group that you thought were more important than you? …dressed better than you? …were better looking? …more educated? …more outgoing? (If your answer to all of these is “no”, then this probably isn’t for you). For those being honest with ourselves, how did that situation make you feel? I’ve been there! It makes you feel intimidated and small, out of place, that you don’t belong, and that you’re not worth much. Well the continuous intake of all this incredible artwork in your social media feeds everyday is no different! It’s a virtual room that you’re standing in, surrounded by some of the world’s most incredible and prestigious photographers. It’s only natural to feel intimidated as you begin to compare your work to theirs.
When you feel like this, it’s time to close your eyes…metaphorically and physically. Shut down the social media. Close out Facebook, get off of Instagram, put down your phone and avoid killing time on your computer. Close your eyes and begin to think about YOUR photography. What do you love about it? What kind of images would you like to create if you could? Who would you help with photography if you had the choice? What project would make you excited to go shoot? What is available to you right now that would allow you to work towards any of these answers? Self-reflection WILL always lead to self-projection.
Start by taking a day or two of each week to set aside as days that you will not feed your social media addiction. Instead, take that time to self-reflect, listen for God’s still, small voice, ask yourself questions that will actively engage you, rediscover your goals, and understand that you have a unique voice! (Read last week’s post about Finding Your Voice) Shutting out the noise will allow you to project yourself into your work and opens up a blank canvas in your mind that you are free to create on. It will also help you see that social media can be used as a beneficial tool. There are a ton of great people out there, all willing to share information that can be greatly beneficial for you…but the reality is, we’ll never recognize those benefits when we’re looking through the eyes of intimidation and fear.
If you’re struggling right now, I hope you find the encouragement you need to push on. The pursuit of photography isn’t an easy road, but it is an incredible journey! What will you do today to make that journey a good one?